Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua are expected to face each other in a rematch of last weekend’s heavyweight fight at some point later this year. Joshua may want the rematch to be held in the UK, but Ruiz wants to be paid a premium for that.
Ruiz was interviewed by Fight Hub TV’s Marcos Villegas this week and was asked about the rematch. He said he wanted $50 million to go to the UK for the rematch.
“I would love it to be here in the United States or in Mexico,” Ruiz told Villegas. “But, hey, it all depends on what we negotiate. If they want me to go over there they have to give me $50 million. It they wanna come over here … it’s just negotiations.”
Joshua is from England and fought his first 22 matches in the UK. Saturday’s loss to Ruiz at Madison Square Garden in New York was his first time fighting outside the UK.
Joshua is the more well-known fighter between the two and considered the “A” side of the negotiations, which would give him the power to dictate terms, even though Ruiz is now the champion. He and his promotional team of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing may want to return to the UK for the rematch. DAZN, which has an exclusive contract with Joshua, is trying to get him to fight the rematch in New York. It sounds like Ruiz wants it to be somewhere in North America rather than Europe.
Ruiz, who was a replacement fighter, reportedly earned around $7 million for the fight. Joshua is said to have made about 3.5 times that.
H/T Bad Left Hook
